Stocking Stuffers

There’s a Christmas dinner, which if you are very lucky involves a goose and chestnuts. There’s the tree, the lights and the caroling. And then there are the presents. What I’ve always been fuzzy about is the delineation between the presents under the tree and the presents in the stockings.

But I know that the stockings require a copious number of small thoughtful gifts. That, combined with the package I received from City Dining Cards, gave me a terrific idea.

For those who don’t know, or who don’t remember from my City Dining Cards giveaway last year, these look like decks of playing cards. Inside each box are fifty high value coupons to local restaurants and two cards which each offer something completely free. The coupons/cards are pretty much idiot proof, providing the same offer at every participating restaurant.

That offer is $10 off a $30 food purchase. Yes, there is fine print. You can read that, and more about these at your leisure.

So this pack of cards retails for $20. That’s less than forty cents per card. See where I’m going with this?

You could curate sets of these for someone’s stocking.

For example, one could make an Angelo Mazzone pack of Angelo’s Tavolo, Angelo’s 677 Prime, and Angelo’s Prime Bar & Grill. Or you could do the Baumer pack of Wolff’s Biergarten, Sciortino’s, The Old English and Bombers. There’s the option of doing it by cuisine, like an Italian four pack to Lombardo’s, V&R, Milano and Grappa ‘72. I’ve even been able to assemble an AOA Eat This! trifecta of Mingle, The Flying Chicken and Garden Bistro 24. The possibilities are limitless.

Now, I could just simply give away two packs of these, but then most people who enter to win would walk away empty handed. No, this is the season for giving. So I’ve decided to do something that’s both very Oprah and very old school.

Everyone is getting some City Dining Cards. You are getting some City Dining Cards. YOU are getting some City Dining Cards. YOU ALL ARE GETTING CITY DINING CARDS!!! ARRRGGH!

There’s just one small catch, and this is where the old school thing comes into play.

When I was a kid, whenever you wanted to get something from the back of a cereal box or an item that was advertised in a comic book, you would need to send a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Honestly, that step always confounded me. And it may confound some of you too. Try to stay with me here, because I’m going to tell you how to get your free cards.

1) Let me know you want the free cards in a comment below (or email me if that’s easier).
2) Use a real email address (I won’t share it).
3) I will use that email to send you my mailing address.
4) As soon as you can, drop your SASE in the mail to that super secret address.
5) I will collect all the envelopes as they arrive.
6) On Friday, December 13, I’ll divvy up the cards as fairly and randomly as possible.
7) Soon thereafter you will get your cards in the mail.
8) Drop them in the stocking of someone you like or hate (depending on the card), or
9) Use them yourself (I won’t tell – they are good until December 31, 2014)

Hopefully some of you will think this is fun. But if only one of you does, than that person will be getting $40 worth of these City Dining Cards (in the spirit of the holiday, I’ll pick up the added shipping costs). And that’s fine by me too.

Neat idea! (And generally, stocking stuffers would consist of a bunch of candy and sometimes one or two very small items, like a hairbrush or a pair of socks or a little manicure set… but mostly, it was about the candy in our house.)

An Albany Jane tweet turned me on to City Dining Cards last December. Unfortunately, All Good Bakers closed before I could use their card. Bought some for in-laws to use in Syracuse as well. I’d love to gift someone with a few good food options for 2014. Thanks for the birthday mitzvah!